This invention relates to switching mode power supplies for a pulsed load, in particular for a TDD, TDMA, Cellular, Cordless Telephony, and Telematics systems.
Contemporary communication systems use one communication channel for more than one user at a time (time, code or frequency domain multiplexing), and for more than one direction of communication at a time (time or frequency domain duplexing). This causes the mobile unit of the communication system to consume different currents during different time phases of the communication cycle, typically Idle, Tune, Receive and Transmit.
As a result, battery consumption is bursty, there being prolonged periods of minimal battery consumption followed by bursts of high current drain.
In order to guarantee communication stability of the communication link during the burst, it is desirable to smooth power supply voltage such that frequency and timing of signals are not changed significantly on the both sides of the communication link due to voltage change caused, in turn, by current consumption change. It has been proposed in the art to smooth transmitter drain during bursts of signal transmission. For example, US20020072399 (Fritz) published Jun. 13, 2002 and entitled xe2x80x9cVoltage controller for a pulsed load, in particular for a mobile-telephone or telematics transmitterxe2x80x9d discloses a voltage controller for a pulsed load, in particular for a mobile telephone or telematics transmitter. In order to maintain constant power of the load, in particular the transmission power, a control element is connected between an input connection of the voltage controller and an output connection for supplying an output voltage to a pulsed load. A comparator compares an actual value signal corresponding to the output voltage with a desired reference value signal and supplies a control signal to the control element in order to adapt the actual value signal to the desired value signal. A desired value circuit derives the desired reference value signal from the input voltage in such a way that it is substantially constant over the duration of a load pulse. This is typical of feedback circuits that compare the actual voltage to a desired reference voltage and then apply error correction to adjust the output voltage.
It is also well known in the literature to use switched mode power supplies (SPMS) also known as voltage converters such as boost and buck converter circuits for step-up and step-down voltage conversion, respectively. U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,977 (Hsu et al.) published Dec. 7, 1999 and entitled xe2x80x9cSwitching power supplies with linear precharge, pseudo-buck and pseudo-boost modesxe2x80x9d discloses a variety of startup modes for operating a boost type switching power supply. A linear charging mode couples the input voltage directly to the output voltage, thereby pre-charging the output capacitor of the switching power supply. The linear mode serves to reduce inrush battery current and limit the stress voltage on the power switching devices. A pseudo-buck mode, preferably entered into after the linear mode has pre-charged the output capacitor, operates the boost type switching power supply in a manner providing power to the output essentially as a buck type switching power supply would. This results in continuous charging of the output capacitor, thereby reducing startup time and increasing power efficiency.
FIG. 1 shows schematically a boost voltage converter 10 comprising a switching circuit depicted generally as 11 having an input 12 and an output 13. The switching circuit 11 includes an inductor 14 coupled between the input 12 and the output 13 via a Schottky diode 15. A MOSFET 16 has its drain coupled to the junction between the inductor 14 and the Schottky diode 15, and its source connected to GND. The gate of the MOSFET 16 is controlled by a controller 17 (constituting a voltage controller) that is also coupled to the output 13 so as to be responsive to the output voltage. An output filtering capacitor 18 is connected between the output 13 and GND. The controller 17 continuously monitors the voltage at the output 13, comparing it to an internal or external reference voltage source (not shown) and sending a corresponding control signal to the MOSFET 16, which serves as a switching element.
In FIG. 2 there is shown schematically a buck voltage converter 20, which uses similar components to the boost converter 10 shown in FIG. 1 and will therefore be described briefly using identical reference numerals. Thus, the buck 4 converter 20 comprises a switching circuit depicted generally as 11 having an input 12 and an output 13. The switching circuit 11 includes an inductor 14 coupled between the input 12 and the output 13 via a MOSFET 16 whose drain is coupled to the inductor 14 and whose source is connected to the input 12. A Schottky diode 15 is connected with its cathode between the junction between the MOSSES 16 and the inductor 14 and its anode to GND. The gate of the MOSFET 16 is controlled by a controller 17 that is also coupled to the output 13 so as to be responsive to the output voltage. An output filtering capacitor 18 is connected between the output 13 and GND. The controller 17 continuously monitors the voltage at the output 13, comparing it to an internal or external reference voltage source (not shown) and sending a corresponding control signal to the MOSFET 16 which serves as a switching element.
In both cases, when the MOSFET 16 is conducting, current flows via the MOSFET 16 through the inductor 14, thereby accumulating in the inductor energy that is discharged when the MOSFET 16 is cutoff and charges the capacitor 18 via the Schottky diode 15. Such a method is based on so-called feedback correction and does not allow for a utilization of the existing in-system knowledge about an upcoming cycle pulse load change. The very nature of such a method is based on the presence of constant error of the output voltage, in order to allow the voltage controller to realize that such an error exists and try to correct it. Moreover, such an approach is very sensitive to the timing parameters of the regulated circuit and frequently causes some oscillations due to over- or under-regulation of the output voltage, due to method of regulation, after every sharp change of the load current.
The need for two types of voltage converters is derived from a need to increase the input voltage to a higher level (Boost converter) or to decrease the input voltage to a lower level (Buck converter).
FIG. 3 shows functionally a conventional pulse load system 30 such as TDD (Time Domain Duplexing), TDMA (Time Domain Multiple Access), different Cellular (TDMA, CDMA, GSM and 3G standards), Cordless telephony (FHSS, DSS, TDD) and Telematics (remote utility metering). The system 30 utilizes either of the voltage converters 10 or 20 as a standalone, independently working circuit. The voltage converter 10, for example, supplies the power voltage to a Baseband controller 31 and an RF circuit 32.
The Baseband controller 31 is a standard component in such systems and supervises the digital data processing required for radio transmission. This includes speech coding, encryption, packetization, error detection and correction for both the packet header and the payload data streams, sometimes signal spreading and de-spreading and/or frequency hopping. Thus, among the various tasks performed by the Baseband controller, is the control of the cycle phase of the RF circuit 32 (like Receive, Idle, Tune or Transmit).
FIG. 4 shows graphically typical power consumption during the transmit-receive cycle of TDMA system. Thus, during idle periods of the cycle there may be minimal baseline power consumption, corresponding with no need to transmit or receive any signal, typically during this time other system can transmit their signal. When it is required to transmit, the RF circuit 32 is first turned on to be tuned to the required transmission frequency and the power consumption rises, but the main transmitting power amplifier is not yet turned on at this stage. Once the RF circuit 32 is tuned, transmission may take place and during this phase of the cycle the power consumption rises to its maximum level. After transmission is complete, the cycle returns to the idle state awaiting receipt of information transmitted by a remote device operating at a frequency that is first communicated to the system during a control cycle. The RF circuit 32 is then tuned to the receiving frequency, whereupon the power consumption rises. Once the RF circuit 32 is tuned, receiver is enabled and during this phase of the cycle the power consumption rises still more. After reception is complete, the cycle returns to the idle state and the cycle repeats as necessary. All the above is just one of possible examples of communication systems with a pulse load, also known as a TDMA system. If a TDMA system is working without any idle time, it becomes a simple TDD system. There are many possible combinations when the separation of different users is done in frequency domain like GSM, or in Code domain like CDMA etc.
In such a system the load exhibits a pulse nature, whereby it increases and decreases in time owing to the time-domain sequence of different cycle phases, such as the Idle, Tune, Transmit and Receive phases shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. Thus, the output voltage of the standalone converter 10 or 20 changes drastically owing to the pulse load changes during the transmit-receive cycle. The controller 17 in the converter 10 or 20 continuously monitors the sharply varying output voltage, and tries to compensate for it. Since the voltage converter 10 or 20 and the Baseband controller 31 work independently of each other, they xe2x80x9ccompetexe2x80x9d with one another so that the Baseband controller 31 causes the load seen by the voltage converter 10 or 20 to change, and the voltage converter 10 or 20 tries continuously to compensate for such change.
It is an object of the invention to provide a better method of controlling the power in a pulse load system, where competition between the voltage controller and the Baseband controller is reduced or eliminated.
This object is realized in accordance with the invention by a method for regulating a voltage converter for supplying power to a pulsed load having a known upcoming magnitude, said voltage converter including a switching circuit receiving a switching signal with a duty cycle that is adjusted by a voltage controller, said method comprising forward-correcting the duty cycle of the switching signal in accordance with the upcoming magnitude of the pulsed load.
The invention further provides an apparatus for regulating a switching circuit of a voltage converter for supplying power to a pulsed load having a known upcoming magnitude, said voltage converter including a switching circuit receiving a switching signal with a duty cycle that is adjusted by a voltage controller, wherein the voltage controller is responsive to a known upcoming cycle phase of the pulsed load and a corresponding magnitude of the pulsed load for forward-correcting the duty cycle of the switching signal.
Preferably, the controller further includes a memory for storing a time history of at least one previous cycle of the pulsed load for determining a deviation from a nominal value and applying feedback correction. Such deviation may be caused by natural aging of circuit components, varying ambient conditions and imprecise knowledge of the load value of the upcoming cycle phase of the pulsed load.